Hannah qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2019 from Edinburgh Napier University. Straight after graduating, Hannah went to Bermuda for a locum position. There she stayed at the practice for two months before moving to another small animal hospital on the island, staying for another year. She moved back to Cardiff in November 2020 and now works in a small animal practice. Hannah’s special interests are nurse clinics and brachycephalic education.
Meet Hannah:
My vet nursing journey started in school, with a year ten work experience placement. It took place at a cattery and by the end of the week, I was offered a Saturday job. As a child, my dream job was to work with cats so I felt lucky to be given this experience.
I worked at the cattery from 2012 until I started university in September 2015 to study for a BSc (Hons) degree in Veterinary Nursing.
Universities that offer vet nursing courses require several weeks of work experience in a veterinary practice before enrolling. I completed these during half-term breaks and the summer holidays. I went to one practice for a week and wasn’t too impressed but left feeling positive about my vet nursing journey.
I spent two weeks at a People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) hospital. Before starting, I contacted the hospital directly and explained my situation about needing the hours to apply for uni.
Thankfully, they were happy to have me and booked me in. It was there that I actively got involved with the nursing team and gained a better understanding of the nursing role.
At my final work experience placement at a first opinion practice, I got an insight into the ‘brachy’ world of dog breeders.
‘Brachycephaly’ describes skulls with a high cephalic index (where width to length skull ratio is high).
Genetic mutations in these breeds cause skull bones to grow shorter and wider, making them appear more childlike.
Examples of brachycephalic canines include pugs, bulldog breeds, shih tzus, boxers, boston terriers, cavalier king charles spaniels, etc.
All of these breeds have stenotic nares (narrowed nostrils), elongated soft palate, hypoplastic trachea, etc due to less anatomical space.
Their breed-related issues are often more focused on the respiratory system but brachycephalic conformation also affects the skin, ocular health, dental health, and reproduction.
The team were amazing to work with and I was lucky enough to do most of my uni practice placements there as a student vet nurse. I had lots of hands-on experience with progesterone testing, caesareans (c-sections) and puppy vaccines.
Progesterone testing was very frequent due to the high number of breeders. I would assist the vet or nurse in taking blood samples from bitches. The blood sample was sent to an external lab (IDEXX) to reveal progesterone levels.
This helped assist with the timing of breeding and help estimate an appropriate date for a c-section. C-sections were frequent, both elective and emergency.
My involvement with c-sections greatly varied. I helped prepare theatre, monitor the bitch, resuscitate pups, clamp umbilical cords, keep the pups safe and comfortable in the whelping box and safely introduce the pups to the mum once everyone had fully recovered from their anaesthetic.
I would then see the same puppies weeks later when assisting the vet with the first vaccines and microchips, before seeing them four weeks later for their second vaccine by a registered veterinary nurse (RVN).
I went through uni struggling with exams but thriving on essays. As the dreaded dissertation came closer I still hadn’t decided on a topic to investigate.
As a crazy cat lover, I had considered feline behaviour but I noticed this topic already had lots of literature and I wanted to pick something more relevant to my training as a student vet nurse.
Initially, I considered exploring the factors involved in brachycephalic c-sections and the nurse’s role. I had already written reflective reports and case studies on this in previous assignments, so I started thinking about the bigger picture.
This led me to my honours project, titled ‘Nursing Implications of Overbreeding Brachycephalic Canines, Focusing on British and French Bulldogs”.
I knew this was a very relevant topic but was nervous about the controversy it would cause as the breed’s popularity was thriving.
At one of my uni practice placements, the majority of patients registered were either British or French bulldogs, with a large breeder clientele.
Having dealt with these clients, I now understand that for some breeders, breeding is what they do for a living and I respect that. Some breeders follow all the rules and genuinely love the breed.
However, others are more in it for the financial gains of the pups. Throughout my training and since qualifying, I have dealt with brachycephalic patients at different life stages and a range of breed-related health conditions.
Some examples of breed-related health conditions are skin allergies and skin fold dermatitis, cherry eye and entropion, noisy breathing considered ‘normal’ by owners, and most commonly birthing difficulties with many opting for planned c-sections as a preventative measure.
As an RVN, it is my responsibility to improve animal welfare. For this reason, I am actively trying to raise awareness of brachycephalic health. In June 2020, I was fortunate enough to have my honours project published in ‘The Veterinary Nurse’.
At the time, I was working at a small animal hospital in Bermuda so this felt like a huge step in the right direction. Because I had raised awareness within the veterinary community, I decided I needed to take a more active role in educating the general public.
You can read my article published in The Veterinary Nurse if you wish.
Whilst working in Bermuda, I saw a few brachycephalic patients, mainly British and French bulldogs. I was surprised to see them there! The high humidity can cause these breeds to overheat and skin conditions to worsen.
Luckily, it is law over there to walk dogs on the lead and many owners know to walk their dogs early morning or late evening to avoid the heat. Some owners considered their loud panting normal.
Many people bought these breeds from the UK and had them shipped across to Bermuda.
I would love to start up brachycephalic-specific nursing clinics in practice to educate owners and assist them in providing the best care for their pets. These clinics would need to be approached sensitively.
I would help owners become aware of the breeds’ health conditions and at the same time, not make them feel guilty for purchasing these breeds.
Although many members of the veterinary community may disagree with the purchase of these breeds, I feel it is more important to focus on improving awareness to existing owners so that these dogs are not abandoned.
I believe owners and even new breeders may benefit from brachycephalic nurse clinics.
These could include assessing skin and discussing prevention of skin fold dermatitis, advice on weight management and feeding techniques, discussing the impact of breeding and whether it is safe for their pet, discussing the importance of dental health due to their overcrowded jaws, and the importance of monitoring breathing and preventing respiratory distress.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions and my recent move back to the UK, I have been unable to utilise these nursing clinics.
So I decided to set up a dedicated IG account instead. On this page, I have been producing snippets of information on brachycephalic health.
So far I have posted on brachycephalic respiratory issues, e.g. BOAS, and I am moving on to breed-specific birthing difficulties. I have been careful to be impartial on these posts as my main aim is to educate and help owners.
Fortunately, as half of my followers are not working in veterinary but instead part of the coeliac community, I am also able to educate those who have limited veterinary knowledge and are unaware of these pre-existing conditions.
I have also been actively raising awareness of living with coeliac disease, having been diagnosed nearly ten years ago. The veterinary and coeliac communities on IG have been so supportive which is encouraging.
I can’t wait to share more and continue on my mission of educating the public on both these topics.
You can purchase my ‘Brachycephalic Nurse Clinic Pocket Guide’ online from molymedsupplies.
You can connect with me on my vet nursing account on IG.
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